THE schedule of play for the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship has been confirmed, with reigning champion Adrian Lewis in action on the opening night on Friday December 14.
The £1 million tournament will be held at London's Alexandra Palace from December 14-January 1.
The preliminary and first round will be held across eight sessions in seven days, with play commencing on Friday December 14 and each session featuring one preliminary round game and four first round matches.
The second round and opening two games from the third round will then take place before the Christmas break, with play resuming on Thursday December 27 with the remaining six games from the last 16.
The quarter-finals will then take place with two matches on each evening on December 28 and 29, with the semi-finals on December 30 and the final being held on Tuesday January 1.
Reigning champion Lewis will begin his challenge for a hat-trick of World Championship titles when he plays Gino Vos on the opening night on December 14 in a high-profile opening session.
June's UK Open champion Robert Thornton will kick-off the World Championship when he plays Magnus Caris, with Paul Nicholson facing Co Stompe and Kevin Painter playing the winner of the preliminary round game between Andree Welge and Leung Chun Nam.
Saturday's second day of action sees play in both the afternoon and evening sessions, with former semi-finalist Terry Jenkins meeting Steve Brown, Richie Burnett playing World Youth Champion James Hubbard, Wayne Jones facing Jerry Hendriks and Andy Smith playing either Daryl Gurney or Robert Marijanovic.
World number one Phil Taylor, the 15-time World Champion, headlines Saturday's evening session as he takes on Northern Ireland's Michael Mansell.
Three-time World Champion John Part meets Joe Cullen, Dave Chisnall plays Australia's Shane Tichowitsch and Denis Ovens will take on either German teenager Max Hopp or South African debutant Charl Pietersen.
2007 World Champion Raymond van Barneveld plays Michael Smith on Sunday evening, with the last two finalists - Gary Anderson and Andy Hamilton - also in action against Jarkko Komula or Jani Haavisto and James Richardson respectively, while Brendan Dolan plays debutant Mark Jones.
World number three James Wade, a semi-finalist last year, plays Peter Hudson on MOnday night, with two-time semi-finalist Mark Webster facing Ian White, Peter Wright meeting Arron Monk and Jamie Caven playing either Carlos Rodriguez or John Bowles.
Tuesday's games will feature Mervyn King up against former Lakeside finalist Dean Winstanley, number six seed Wes Newton playing another debutant, Johnny Haines, Steve Beaton meeting Australian Kyle Anderson and Colin Osborne playing either Lourence Ilagan or Jamie Lewis.
Wednesday's penultimate day of first round action will feature number five seed Simon Whitlock, a semi-finalist last year and the 2010 runner-up, facing either Japan's Haruki Muramatsu or New Zealander Dave Harrington.
Ronnie Baxter plays two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley, Colin Lloyd meets Darin Young and Justin Pipe faces Andy Jenkins.
The final first round games will be played on Thursday December 20, with World Grand Prix winner Michael van Gerwen, the number four seed, playing either Paul Lim or Mohd Latif Sapup.
Fellow Dutchman Vincent van der Voort plays debutant Stuart Kellett, Mark Walsh faces Darren Webster and Kim Huybrechts plays Scott Rand.
The Ladbrokes World Championship will be held from December 14-January 1 at Alexandra Palace. For tickets, visit www.seetickets.com/darts or call 0844 871 8807.
The Ladbrokes World Darts Championship is shown live on Sky Sports HD including the semi-finals and final in 3D. Join the conversation on Twitter by using #Ladbrokesdarts.
2013 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship
Schedule of Play
Friday December 14 (7pm-12am)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
7.10pm Robert Thornton v Magnus Caris
8.15pm Andree Welge v Leung Chun Nam (P)
9.00pm Paul Nicholson v Co Stompe
10.00pm Adrian Lewis v Gino Vos
11.00pm Kevin Painter v Welge/Chun Nam
Saturday December 15
Afternoon Session (12pm-5pm)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
12.10pm Wayne Jones v Jerry Hendriks
1.15pm Daryl Gurney v Robert Marijanovic (P)
2.00pm Richie Burnett v James Hubbard
3.00pm Terry Jenkins v Steve Brown
4.00pm Andy Smith v Gurney/Marijanovic
Evening Session (7pm-12am)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
7.10pm Dave Chisnall v Shane Tichowitsch
8.15pm Max Hopp v Charl Pietersen (P)
9.00pm John Part v Joe Cullen
10.00pm Phil Taylor v Michael Mansell
11.00pm Denis Ovens v Hopp/Pietersen
Sunday December 16 (7pm-12am)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
7.10pm Brendan Dolan v Mark Jones
8.15pm Jarkko Komula v Jani Haavisto (P)
9.00pm Andy Hamilton v James Richardson
10.00pm Raymond van Barneveld v Michael Smith
11.00pm Gary Anderson v Komula/Haavisto
Monday December 17 (7pm-12am)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
7.10pm Peter Wright v Arron Monk
8.15pm Carlos Rodriguez v John Bowles (P)
9.00pm Mark Webster v Ian White
10.00pm James Wade v Peter Hudson
11.00pm Jamie Caven v Rodriguez/Bowles
Tuesday December 18 (7pm-12am)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
7.10pm Steve Beaton v Kyle Anderson
8.15pm Lourence Ilagan v Jamie Lewis (P)
9.00pm Wes Newton v Johnny Haines
10.00pm Mervyn King v Dean Winstanley
11.00pm Colin Osborne v Ilagan/J Lewis
Wednesday December 19 (7pm-12am)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
7.10pm Justin Pipe v Andy Jenkins
8.15pm Haruki Muramatsu v Dave Harrington (P)
9.00pm Ronnie Baxter v Dennis Priestley
10.00pm Colin Lloyd v Darin Young
11.00pm Simon Whitlock v Muramatsu/Harrington
Thursday December 20 (7pm-12am)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
7.10pm Mark Walsh v Darren Webster
8.15pm Paul Lim v Mohd Latif Sapup (P)
9.00pm Kim Huybrechts v Scott Rand
10.00pm Vincent van der Voort v Stuart Kellett
11.00pm Michael van Gerwen v Lim/Sapup
Friday December 21
Afternoon Session (12.30pm-4.30pm)
3x Second Round
12.40pm Hamilton/Richardson v Burnett/Hubbard
2.00pm Chisnall/Tichowitsch v A Smith/Gurney/Marijanovic
3.20pm Anderson/Komula/Haavisto v Caven/Rodriguez/Bowles
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
3x Second Round
7.10pm T Jenkins/Brown v Part/Cullen
8.30pm Nicholson/Stompe v Thornton/Caris
9.50pm Taylor/Mansell v W Jones/Hendriks
Saturday December 22
Afternoon Session (12.30pm-4.30pm)
3x Second Round
12.40pm Painter/Welge/Chun Nam v Baxter/Priestley
2.00pm M Webster/White v Lloyd/Young
3.20pm van Barneveld/M Smith v Dolan/M Jones
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
3x Second Round
7.10pm Newton/Haines v Huybrechts/Rand
8.30pm Whitlock/Muramatsu/Harrington v Osborne/Ilagan/J Lewis
9.50pm A Lewis/Vos v Ovens/Hopp/Pietersen
Sunday December 23
Afternoon Session (12.30pm-4.30pm)
3x Second Round
12.40pm Pipe/A Jenkins v Walsh/D Webster
2.00pm King/Winstanley v van der Voort/Kellett
3.20pm Wade/Hudson v Beaton/K Anderson
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
1x Second Round, 2x Third Round
7.10pm van Gerwen/Lim/Sapup v Wright/Monk
8.30pm Hamilton/Richardson/Burnett/Hubbard v T Jenkins/Brown/Part/Cullen
9.50pm Taylor/Mansell/W Jones/Hendriks v Nicholson/Stompe/Thornton/Caris
Thursday December 27
Afternoon Session (12.30pm-4.30pm)
3x Third Round
12.40pm Whitlock/Muramatsu/Harrington/Osborne/Ilagan/J Lewis v Chisnall/Tichowitsch/A Smith/Gurney/Marijanovic
2.00pm G Anderson/Komula/Haavisto/Caven/Rodriguez/Bowles v van Barneveld/M Smith/Dolan/M Jones
3.20pm Newton/Haines/Huybrechts/Rand v Pipe/A Jenkins/Walsh/D Webster
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
3x Third Round
7.10pm van Gerwen/Lim/Sapup/Wright/Monk v M Webster/White/Lloyd/Young
8.30pm A Lewis/Vos/Ovens/Hopp/Pietersen v Painter/Welge/Chun Nam/Baxter/Priestley
9.50pm Wade/Hudson/Beaton/K Anderson v King/Winstanley/van der Voort/Kellett
Friday December 28 (7pm-11pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
7.15pm
9.15pm
Saturday December 29 (7pm-11pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
7.15pm
9.15pm
Sunday December 30 (7pm-11pm)
Semi-Finals
7.15pm
9.15pm
Tuesday January 1 (8pm-11pm)
Final
8.15pm
The schedule of play is subject to change at the discretion of the PDC and Sky Sports. Any changes would be notified as soon as possible at www.pdc.tv. Times of matches listed above is approximate and for guidance only.
Format
Preliminary Round - Best of Seven Legs (no tie-break)
First Round - Best of Five Sets
Second Round - Best of Seven Sets
Third Round - Best of Seven Sets
Quarter-Finals - Best of Nine Sets
Semi-Finals - Best of 11 Sets
Final - Best of 13 Sets
All Sets are the best of five legs.
For all matches using the Sets format, there will be a tie-break in the deciding set only, where the final set must be won by two clear legs until the score in that set reaches 5-5. Should that situation occur, then a sudden-death leg will be played, before which the players will throw first for the bull to determine who throws first in the sudden-death leg.